# Mapping the vulnerable locus coeruleus pathways in aging and AD

> **NIH NIH U01** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2022 · $1,984,794

## Abstract

Project Summary
Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating dementia with no known cure. While research has advanced our
knowledge of the genetics and molecular biology of AD, it is not yet known why some areas of the brain are
affected, while others are spared. Additionally, the sensitivity of circuits and synaptic connections in disease
progression are not known. We will examine the connectivity of the locus coeruleus (LC), which projects to
most areas of the brain, and is one of the regions to show pathology earliest in AD. We will characterize the
populations of these neurons based on their connectivity and sensitivity to degeneration with aging and in AD
model mice, both from a global connectome level and with single-cell approaches for molecular signatures.
Additionally, we with look in more detail at the entorhinal cortex, one of the recipients of LC connections with
preferential cell loss, and characterize the specific populations and input/output relationships in response to
aging and LC pathology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440881
- **Project number:** 1U01AG077227-01
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kwanghun Chung
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,984,794
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440881

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440881, Mapping the vulnerable locus coeruleus pathways in aging and AD (1U01AG077227-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440881. Licensed CC0.

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